How’s that for a title?
Good, no? Myself, I’m impressed with it. Isn’t that what they always tried to teach us in English class? Straightforward titling? I swear that was always the worst part of writing a paper: coming up with the title. I hated that part. My English teachers would be so thrilled to know that their hard work paid off and I have finally mastered the skill of creating clear titles.
But I digress.
This is a gift guide. It would work very well if you were my husband in 2008 (or maybe 2007/2006) and could use this list for me. Alternatively, if you know someone like me, you might enjoy this list because I don’t think it’s so specific that it’s useless. Also, several of these things are useful for people who are organized, concise, and less emotional. In other words, people who are not me. So if you’re stumped on what to buy for someone on your list, perhaps you’ll get a good idea here.
I have not been paid for any of these suggestions. They are all my own. If you click through the Amazon links and make a purchase, the affiliate links give some sort of kickback to the referring site. Just in the interest of full disclosure! 
But no pressure – in fact, I’d encourage you to set yourself up with an ebates account and purchase through there if you find something you have to buy!
1. Photo Freedom by Stacy Julian
Do you know a scrapbooker? Do you know a person who just has a lot of photos? This book is absolutely invaluable for anyone who has photos and wants to have a great way to organize and track them. It is also invaluable for the scrapbooker who feels chronically behind and like s/he never gets to tell the important stories because s/he has to work through all the pictures chronologically. The book is laid out nicely with step-by-step directions on how to implement this system and then examples of how people have altered this system to make it work for them.
2. Handmade Home by Amanda Soule
I’ve turned into a little bit of a craftaholic this fall. I don’t know why. I simply don’t have time to be crafty. But something about Amanda Soule’s books has drawn me and lulled me into the assumption that everybody has time for crafts and that crafts are homey and worthwhile and that every child deserves a home filled with organic handmade goods.
Right.
But if you read her books, I think you’ll believe it, too. And the best part is that reading her books doesn’t make me feel guilty – it makes me feel inspired. Her books have even inspired me enough to come up with some of my own ideas! Whole ideas that I didn’t steal from magazines or the Internet!
I’ve read and recommended The Creative Family
If you’re reading this blog I assume you’re at least generally familiar with the blogging world. If you’re me, you also enjoy the whole “cooking” stuff. In my head I want to be a good cook. Although my dishes usually turn out okay, my 4pm commitment to executing excellent meals wanes.
Earlier this year, Tahd and I had a date night scheduled. I wanted to see Julie & Julia. He wasn’t interested but was kind enough to tell me I could pick. Realizing he didn’t want to see the movie, I tried to come up with a compromise – one that could be equally enjoyed by both of us. I came up short. Tahd agreed to see the cooking movie which totally made my day except that I was worried that he’d feel bored out of his mind for 2 hours. Shockingly, he wasn’t! He really enjoyed the movie. I did, too. It incorporates whimsy, cooking, relationships, and blogging in an interesting story. If you’re looking for a fun at-home date night or a movie night with the girls or just something to do on an evening when you have nothing else to do, get this movie. It was very entertaining!
4. 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments from Crate and Barrel
Next, a set of ornaments. I have wanted these ornaments for years! I’m not sure when I saw them first, but every year I get the Crate and Barrel catalog and every year I’m relieved to find them still in there since I hadn’t gotten them yet. Until this year. I purchased them this year on Black Friday. Not even on sale! That’s how much I wanted them! I’m hoping to do a really meaningful family activity with them on the 12 days leading up to Christmas. But even if you just hung them on your tree and didn’t do an associated activity, I think they’re lovely!
5. iTouch
I know a lot of people have iPhones. I don’t. I’ve been with Verizon since 2003 and their coverage is so good I don’t want to switch. Also, if you stay with Verizon long enough and threaten to leave them a few times, you can get access to some weird retention plans that are pretty cheap. Being that we don’t use our cell phones all that much, I’m thrilled to have around 700 minutes for around $60. And I’m currently not under contract. I like that part, too.
Anyway, I love the idea of the iPhones but know I’m not going to get one. I did, however, manage to accidentally win an iTouch last year around Christmas. I was sure it was too good to be true until the thing eventually showed up on my doorstep. But I’m so glad it was true. Because that thing is the best thing ever! First, it’s a great tool for personal organization. I’ve played around with those features, but honestly I like to think about being organized. Actually getting organized overwhelms me. However, the apps related to organization and productivity are endless and I’ve found several of them fairly handy. I also love the apps for kids. Gabe has a Leapster which he still enjoys, but I thought about upgrading him to a handheld gaming system for older children. As I looked at them, however, I realized that we get FAR more use out of my iTouch than he would get out of a Didj or a DS or any of those. And again, the apps are so cheap! If he’s bored with the games he has available, I go to the app store and buy him a new one for a dollar or two. Some are even free!
My favorite element of my iTouch is the way it buys me extra sleep. There are loads of free video podcasts out there, and I’ve downloaded several of Gabe’s favorites. On mornings when he wakes up too early – or when he wakes up at a normal hour but I went to bed too late – he comes to snuggle in bed with me while he watches clips from his favorite shows and I get a few more moments of shut eye. It’s also really handy this way on car trips and in doctor’s offices.
Of course you can also do itunes and your own podcasts and stuff like that, but these are the features we use most. I’m linking up to the 8gb model, but truthfully I don’t think you would be going wrong if you got the 32. Mine is a 16 (which is apparently no longer made) and it’s full!
I love apothecary jars. They’re just so versatile! You can fill them with candles, sparkly ornaments, rocks, other things from nature, candy, food… the options are endless! I’ve gradually been collecting jars and containers and have been using them for various purposes around my house. My favorite purpose is decorating, especially when I can cluster them all together and enjoy the visual simplicity of all the glass. But currently, I have them spread around and am even using one on my counter for some animal crackers. They certainly make animal crackers look a whole lot more classy!
When it comes to apothecary jars, however, I have a secret. I buy them at TJ Maxx and I never pay more than $10 for one. You can usually find them in the clearance section for $5 or $7! So it has been easy to amass a collection of these jars for a very small investment of money.
7. TJ Maxx
Speaking of TJ Maxx, gift certificates to TJ Maxx are like 2 gifts in one. First, when I get a gift certificate to TJ Maxx I know I’m going to go home with some really good stuff at a really good price. That’s enough to put a smile on any girl’s face! Second, shopping at TJ Maxx is like an adventure. You have to go in with some time on your hands (hence I usually leave Gabe at home so I can poke at my leisure) and search for treasures. They don’t always have treasures. I don’t know their shipment schedule so I’m sure I’ve missed lots of goodies. But it hasn’t seemed to matter because every time I go I seem to find something I love. For cheap. Which makes me love it more.
For my birthday this year I received a Cricut Expression. Squee!! This machine amazes me! You can do anything with it! I’m pretty sure if we gave one to each of the politicians in our country they’d be able to take care of the healthcare overhaul in no time. It works miracles!
Truth be told, I haven’t used this machine for scrapbooking at all. I have used it for gift giving and home decor craft projects and things like that. I’m positively dying to try it to make the vinyl decals you can hang on your wall. But there’s a fairly steep learning curve, and I haven’t mastered it yet. Perhaps I should put a “Cricut For Dummies” book on my own Christmas list this year? The potential seems limitless!
There are several models of this machine – not all as large or as costly as the Expression. Depending on what you want to do with it, the smaller versions could be everything you need!
One of my most favorite brands is MAC Cosmetics. There has never been a product I tried that I didn’t like – at least at some level! I usually love the color, the application, the consistency… often I love all 3! You can’t go wrong with MAC lipglasses. They’re beautiful! Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the plushglasses, too. So sparkly! The eyeshadows are standards! These are harder, however, because it’s sometimes difficult to pick colors out for other people.
One produce I think could work well on many women, however, is MAC Mineralize powder in “Soft and Gentle.” I use this product as a highlight. It’s not sparkly, but it gives a soft glow that makes me feel like my skin looks 15 years younger. I brush a little on my cheekbones and temples and feel like everything has been perked up!
I think most women would be thrilled to get something like this in her stocking. But if you want to take it an extra step, pick up a brush to go with it! MAC brushes are excellent – very long-lasting and give a great application! I often use brush #109 for this product and I think it works nicely. The great thing is you can use it for other things, too. I use it for applying foundation and for blending concealer at least as much as I use it for the Mineralize powder.
10. Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
Unfortunately for me, I love using this next item. I say unfortunately because although it’s a lot of fun, it takes a lot of my time because I don’t know what I’m doing. There are so many photo editing options!!! They all look so good!!!
I know there are other excellent and more powerful programs out there, but 97% of the time I need something quick and dirty. I’d love to have time to learn how to work all of that, but I’ve read from several excellent photographers that Photoshop Elements can do basically everything you’d want to do to your photos. So if you know someone who likes photos and computers, likes getting a deal and doesn’t want to spend an enormous amount of time learning software, this is the program for her.
11. Custom-Made Pen
I’m a notebook junkie. I love me a pretty blank notebook with endless space in which to record my thoughts and to-do lists. Notebooks, however, are a dime a dozen. I don’t have a favorite – I just love them all. I even love those little yellow legal pads. They fit in my purse, are nicely lined, and they’re cheap enough that I don’t care if I lose or destroy one.
What isn’t a dime a dozen, however, is a good pen. I have several styles of pens I like, but by far my favorite is a pen my husband had made for me. His former boss was dabbling in the hobby of pen-turning and since my husband brought him some wood and other various farm products to be turned (who knew you could turn a corncob and make it into a pen!!) he made us a few pens.
The pen pictured below isn’t my pen. But it is very much *like* my pen, and I love it. It is a nice size, has pretty hardware, and feels great in my hand. It makes me feel so official and grown up to take my custom-made pen out of my purse to write a check. Lovely!
The best part is that the man who makes these pens is a great man! You can’t go wrong ordering a handmade item from a great person.
12. When I first had Gabe, I found my wardrobe changed. It didn’t just change because I changed size. It also changed because I had to deal with nursing and holding and burping and all that jazz. It didn’t take long before I felt dowdy and frumpy and like I couldn’t put together an outfit to save my life.
Enter Silpada. I won’t go into the long story, but I found Silpada jewelry, got some pieces, and felt pretty again. It didn’t matter if I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Throw on a necklace and a pretty pair of earrings and suddenly I felt like I had style! It wouldn’t have had to be a particular brand name. Any accessories would have made a difference! You could hit up Target’s clearance aisle just as well as you could walk into a high-end jewelry store or hit up your local Silpada representative (and I’m on a little Silpada break since I’m so overwhelmed with life right now, so I can say that)! 
Jewelry can be hard to buy for other people so I’m not going to link to a specific thing. But I will say my most favorite accessory I own is a necklace. It’s long – about 34″, and it’s just a bunch of silver links in varying sizes. I feel like it’s perfect. It goes with almost everything. The links are delicate enough to not take over a favorite or busy shirt, but they’re substantial enough to jazz up a solid-color t-shirt. You can layer extra necklaces with it if you’re feeling like you need more glitz, or you can wear it alone and not feel too bare. It’s also long enough that you can wrap it around your neck twice for a shorter look. Gotta love versatility!
So there you have it! My gift guide. Honestly, it took days to write this and I’m not entirely sure it will help anyone, especially since it’s practically too late to get anything shipped to you in time for Christmas. But I’m publishing it anyway because I finished it, and finishing something is a very good feeling!
Those ornaments are SUPER sweet!!
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